Evaluation of the use of a peppermint mouth rinse for halitosis by girls studying in Tehran high schools.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Oral malodor is one of the most common complaints among dental patients. It often creates serious personal and social embarrassment for the afflicted individual. Therefore, a dentist must be able to diagnose the etiology of halitosis and treat it or refer an individual to a specialist. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of halitosis and the effect of a peppermint mouth rinse on it.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

This study was performed in two steps. At the first step, in a cross-sectional study, 504 students who were 14-18 years old were examined to define the students who suffered from halitosis, and then at the second step, the selected 84 students with halitosis were divided into two groups randomly. A total of 43 students in group 1 received a peppermint mouth rinse and 41 students in another group were given placebo. The students in two groups washed their mouth with 15-20 ml of the given solutions three times in a 1-week period (after breakfast, after lunch or on returning to home, before sleeping) and didn't eat anything for 30 min after rinsing. After 1 week, the students were examined again.

RESULTS

The prevalence of halitosis was 24.4% totally. In the mouth rinse group, after 1 week 23 students didn't exhibit halitosis, and 11 students in the placebo group were halitosis positive. A chi-square test showed that this difference was significant.

CONCLUSION

Based on the results of this study, it can be said that a peppermint mouth rinse can reduce halitosis.